Complicated Love
by RaspberryRose
Summary: Set after Jack hurt his ear. He loves Martha, but can he forgive her for her stupid prank? Will a near tragedy bring them together? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Martha lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. She sighed and looked towards her alarm clock just in time to see it click over to 7am. Usually by now the loud alarm would be going off, tempting her to get out off bed. But she had already flicked the alarm off 2 hours before. Who needed an alarm when you had already been awake for hours? In fact she had hardly slept at all during the night. Her mind had been elsewhere thinking about how much her life sucked at the moment. She knew why it sucked, and the only person to blame was herself.

She had screwed up, and she had screwed up big time. Jack hated her and now he didn't want anything to do with her. She couldn't blame him though, she knew she deserved it.

Because of her stupidity she had managed to drive him away. Her eyes started to well up with tears again. She was surprised she actually had any tears left; she had spent all of yesterday afternoon and most of the night crying. Every time she thought of Jack, she would hear the harsh words he said to her over and over in her head and this would start the waterworks all over again. She hated to admit it but this was the most she had ever cried over a guy.

"Why did you have to be so stupid," she growled out loud.

She'd had someone totally amazing standing right in front of her, and she had pushed him away. And now that she was ready to admit that she wanted to be with Jack, he no longer wanted her.

She heard a soft knock on her bedroom door.

"Martha Love, are you awake?" Alf called out.

"Yeah, come in grandad," Martha called back.

Martha sat up and used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away the few stray tears on her cheeks. She put on a fake smile but her grandfather could see right threw it.

"What's wrong love?" he asked, sitting down on the end of her bed.

"Everything is wrong grandad," she cried.

"This is to do with Jack isn't it? How did your chat go with him yesterday arvo?" he asked.

"It sucked, as predicted. He doesn't want anything more to do with me," she replied.

"Well maybe he just needs some more time to………….," Alf started but Martha cut him off.

"No Grandad. You didn't hear the way he spoke to me yesterday. He made it perfectly clear how he felt. He hates me," she said.

"He doesn't hate you, I'm sure of that. I've seen the way that boy looks at you and it's definitely not a look of hate," Alf reassured her. Martha gave her grandfather a small smile, she hoped he was right.

"Listen, the reason why I came in was to see if you were doing anything today. Tony just stopped by and he's hired out a speed boat for the day and he's taking out Lucas and Ric. I've decided to go aswell and I just wanted to see if you wanted to come too," he offered.

"Thanks for the offer Grandad, but I think I'll stay ashore. I doubt I'd be much fun anyways," she smiled at her grandad.

"Ok love. Well I'm going to head off down to the bait shop. I want to pick up some fresh bait for today. We're going to do a spot of fishing while out on the water," Alf said standing up.

"Have a good day. I'll see you when you get back," Martha said.

Alf leaned down and gave her a peck on the head.

"Don't mope around the house all day. Get out and get some fresh air okay," Alf told her.

Martha laughed.

"Alright Old man," she said cheekily. Alf chuckled and walked out of her room.

"Hey grandad, don't forget to catch me a fish," she yelled out after him. Martha smiled to herself. _I'm so lucky to have grandad, without him I'd be nothing…!_

Jack sat at the kitchen table drinking his morning coffee. Actually it was his fourth cup that morning and it was only 7:30 am. He'd woken up at the crack of dawn and couldn't get back to sleep, so he had decided to get up and watch a bit of telly. And with that came the four cups of coffee.

He knew why he couldn't sleep. It was because of Martha. He pushed her face out of his mind and tried to concentrate on something else. Luckily for him it was at this moment his father walked in the front door. He was carrying a couple bags of food.

"What took you so long; I thought you only had to pick up a few things from the store?" Jack asked his father.

"I stopped in at Alf's on the way and asked if he and Martha wanted to join the boys and myself out on the boat today. Alf's up for it, not sure about Martha though. She was still in bed," Tony replied, placing the bags on top of the counter.

"Speaking of Martha, you shouldn't have been so hard on her yesterday. The girl made a mistake, she knows that. There's no need to punish her any further," Tony said while getting some bread out of one of the bags so he could make up some lunch for their day out.

Jack groaned.

"Look dad, I've made up my mind and I've decided that it would be best if Martha and I just stayed out of each others way. Like I said yesterday, she feels guilty and she only wants my forgiveness so she can feel better about herself. Now can we just drop it, I don't want to talk about it anymore," he told his father.

Tony looked at Jack and nodded.

"Fine, I'll drop it but first I just want to say that I think you're wrong. I don't think Martha came around yesterday because she felt guilty. I think she came around because she cares for you and she wanted you to know it. I think she likes you," Tony told his son.

"Who knows with Martha? One minute she's hot and the next minute she's cold. Doesn't matter anyway, I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it," Jack stated and walked off towards his room.

Jack sat down on his bed. He noticed the small round package that Martha had left for him yesterday sitting on top of his drawer. He wasn't going to open it, not yet anyway.

He was so confused. Sure, he told his dad he was going to stay away from Martha from now on. But that didn't mean his feelings towards her had stopped.

"When did my life get so complicated," he said out loud.

_Oh yeah, the day I met Martha Mackenzie and fell in love her._


	2. Chapter 2

It was 1:00pm and Martha still hadn't left the house. In the few hours that Alf had been gone she had showered and dressed, vacuumed the whole house, done some washing, cleaned her room and had even dusted her grandfather's room. She always seemed to clean when she was worried or stressed about something. It usually helped get her mind off things but this time it wasn't helping.

"Martha," a voice called out. She turned around to face the open door and saw that Tasha was standing there. "Hey, come in," Martha told her.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to meet me and Robbie at Noah's an hour ago," Tasha asked.

Whoops, Martha thought to herself. "Sorry, I completely forgot. My minds been on other things and I've been busy cleaning," Martha apologised.

"Well you're forgiven. Come on, let's go out and go for a walk or something," Tasha urged.

Martha sighed. "Ok, let's go".

* * *

Jack looked out over the water. He had been at home catching up on some paperwork when he decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air.

"Jack, how's it going mate?" a voice from behind him said. It was Robbie.

"Hey Rob, what's up?" he asked.

Robbie sat down beside him. "Good to see you are alive after your visit to the hospital," Robbie joked. "How's your ear?"

"I still can't hear properly out of my left ear, but it's improving," Jack replied.

Robbie nodded. "That's good. I'm sure it will all be better soon".

"Hope so," Jack said.

"Wanna go grab a juice from Noah's?" Robbie asked.

"Sure, why not," Jack agreed.

As Jack and Robbie walked up the beach, Jack noticed Martha up in the distance. She was with Tasha. It was getting quite windy and Jack couldn't help but think that Martha looked beautiful with her curls blowing around in the wind.

Robbie must have noticed that he was looking at her. "I thought you and Martha weren't talking anymore," he asked Jack.

"We're not," Jack replied.

"Then why were you staring at her just before," Robbie asked.

"I wasn't," Jack said defensively, stomping up the beach.

Robbie laughed. "Yeah right," he said to know one in particular.

"Hey, wait up," he called out to Jack, while running to catch up to him.

* * *

Martha watched as Robbie ran up the beach trying to catch up with Jack. She figured Jack must have seen her and was trying to get as far away from her as possible.

"You like him a lot more than I suspected," Tasha's voice awoke her from her daze. "What was that?" Martha asked her.

Tasha laughed. "I said, you like him a lot more than I suspected," Tasha repeated.

"Well, it doesn't matter how I feel anymore because he's made it quite obvious he can't stand the sight of me," Martha sighed.

"That's not true. Just give him a bit more time to get over it. He can't stay mad at you forever," Tasha told her.

"Why couldn't I just admit my feelings to him earlier? If I did none of this would have happened and we'd probably be together right now. I'm such an idiot," Martha growled. She saw a small plastic bucket lying in the sand and kicked it as hard as she could.

"Hey," Tasha laughed, "what did the bucket ever do to you?"

Martha couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Come on, let's go to Noah's and get a drink," Tasha said, pulling Martha along behind her.

They didn't notice the dark clouds gathering in the sky behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha and Tasha walked into Noah's still laughing about Martha's 'violent attack' on the bucket. Tasha was glad she had got Martha laughing. Martha had been in a total funk the last couple days and it was getting to a point where Tasha was to scared to even talk to her. Martha was snapping at people all over the joint and Tasha didn't want to be her next target.

Martha's good mood soon went crashing down though. Martha spotted Jack sitting at the bar with Robbie. They were talking to Beth and laughing about something.

"Maybe we should go to the diner instead," Martha told Tasha.

"No way, I want to sit here. Just because Jack's here doesn't mean that you have to leave," Tasha replied.

Martha sighed. "But he said…," she started but Tasha was having none of that. "No buts, I don't care what he said. We are sitting here whether you like it or not," Tasha said raising her voice.

By now Tasha's loud voice had gotten the attention of Jack, Robbie and Beth. They were looking at the girls wondering what was going on. Robbie was smiling, he rarely ever heard his wife raise her voice, least of all at Martha. He liked it.

Martha looked back at Tasha. She was also surprised that Tasha had yelled at her. "Geez, there's no need to get snippy," Martha told her.

Tasha grabbed her hand and pulled her over towards the boys and Beth. Beth smiled at them. "Would you like a juice girls?" she asked them. "Thanks Beth," Martha replied sitting down on a stool next to Robbie. She didn't dare look at Jack. Beth poured two cups of juice out for the girls. "Thanks Beth," they said.

For the next few minutes they all just sat in silence. Nobody was really game enough to start up a conversation. Martha knew it was because of the tension between herself and Jack.

Robbie being the smart ass he is decided to break the silence. "Boy, isn't this uncomfortable?"

Tasha gave him a dirty look. "Robbie, shut up," she said. Another moment passed when all of a sudden Tasha jumped up. "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute," she stated walking off.

Beth looked at Martha and then at Jack. They were both hurting and she could see it clearly. Tony had told her the night before about the fight they had. And she was surprised when he told her that Jack apparently didn't want anything to do with Martha anymore.

It had been so obvious to everyone from the start that Jack had strong feelings for Martha; whenever she was around he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Beth knew that Martha felt the same; she had seen Martha watching Jack many times when she thought that no one was looking.

Beth thought it was sad that it had ended this way, but she had a feeling it wasn't over yet.

Robbie was right though, it was getting uncomfortable and Beth couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm going to go and do a stock count in the storage room," she said picking up her clipboard and starting to walk away.

Martha jumped up. "Do you want some help? " Martha offered sounding a little too eager. Silently she wished Beth would say 'yes'. She was feeling so uncomfortable and she couldn't stand the silence that came along with it.

"No sweet, it's okay. It won't take me long anyway. Besides, it's your day off. So why don't you enjoy it," Beth replied before walking off.

Martha scoffed. Enjoy it! Yeah right. As if that's going to happen, she thought to herself.

"So Sunshine," Robbie said swinging around in his chair to look at her. "Care to share with the audience why Tasha was yelling before?"

Martha looked away. She didn't want to say it was because of Jack. "It was nothing," she told him.

Robbie laughed. "Uh huh, sure. Tasha doesn't raise her voice over nothing."

Martha could feel her temper flaring, why couldn't he just leave her alone. "Just drop it Rob, it's got nothing to do with you anyway," Martha snapped.

"Hey," Robbie held his hands up in defence. "Don't have a heart coronary, I was just asking."

"Yeah, well don't ask," Martha spat back at him.

"Fine," Robbie said defeated. "Fine," she threw back at him.

Jack looked up to see Tasha walking back towards them. Thank god. The more people around the less uncomfortable it feels, he thought to himself.

Jack wanted to leave; he was starting to find it very hard not to look at Martha.

He had noticed when she first walked in that she was laughing and looked happy. But as soon as she saw him her face had dropped. She had looked like she had wanted to cry. Jack was willing to bet that Tasha and Martha's little tiff was about him. He had heard Martha say that it would be better if they went to the diner because he was here.

Maybe his dad was right. Maybe he had been a bit rough on her yesterday. Maybe she did like him. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling noise.

"What was that?" Tasha asked.

Martha stood up. "It sounded like thunder. I'm just gonna go outside and take a look," she said walking away.

Beth then walked out of the store room. "I was just listening to the radio and they said that there was a big storm heading our way," she told them.

"That explains the thunder then," Jack said standing up. "I better head off home. I think there are a couple of windows that need closing before it starts to rain. Thanks for the juice Beth," he said before walking off.

"Seeya Jack," they called out.

"Well, that went well," Robbie said sarcastically.

Tasha sighed. "At least they weren't ripping each others heads off," she said.

Jack had just walked out of Noah's when he ran straight into Martha. He grabbed her arm, stopping her from falling backwards. He felt a tingle run up his own arm that always happened when he touched her. He wondered if she felt it too!

He looked at her face to find her already looking at him. He held her gaze for a few moments but then she suddenly snapped out of it. She pulled her arm away from his grasp as if he had burned her.

"Sorry, I…," he started, but Martha cut him off. "Whatever," she said pushing past him and walking back inside.

Martha closed the door behind her. Was he about to apologise for what he said yesterday? She thought. Why did you walk away you stupid idiot. You probably just ruined your last and only chance.

* * *

Alf looked up into the sky. There were dark clouds starting to appear. He thought maybe it was time to head off home.

He'd had a great day with Tony and the boys. They had caught quite a few fish. Lucas seemed to be a natural at fishing and Alf was sure that he had found himself another fishing buddy that he could add to his list. Tony and Ric weren't so lucky when it came to catching fish; they had only caught a few between the pair of them. Of course Alf and Lucas had laughed and gloated about it all afternoon.

"Hey mate," Alf said getting Tony's attention. "It looks like we are headed for a bit of a storm. We should head off now before it starts raining," Alf suggested.

Tony nodded his approval. "You're right; those clouds seem to be getting darker. It will probably take us 30 minutes to get home, hopefully we will get there before it gets to bad," Tony said.

"What's wrong dad?" Lucas asked Tony.

"We're going to head off now. It's getting late and it looks as if we are headed for a storm," Tony told his son.

Tony went to start the boat but he got a surprise when he couldn't start it. "It won't start," he told Alf.

"Let me have a go," Alf replied. He also got a surprise when it wouldn't start, not even a splutter.

"Grandad, is everything ok?" Ric asked.

"The boat won't start mate. I'll try the radio and see if I can call for help or something," Alf said trying not to worry too much.

Alf picked up the radio to call for help. It wasn't working either.

Alf was starting to get frustrated. "What the flaming hell is going on?" he yelled.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack had just finished closing all the windows. He sat down on his bed not really knowing what to do. He thought his dad and Lucas would have been home by now, maybe they stopped in at Noah's or the diner. He knew they weren't stupid enough to stay out on the water in weather like this. He'd give his dad a call soon and see where they were.

Jack lay back on his bed and his eyes fell on the small package on his bedside drawer, making his thoughts go straight back to Martha again. He was curious as to what was wrapped up inside.

He had known the decision he made about staying away from her was going to be hard, but not this hard. The anger that he had felt towards her yesterday was quickly disappearing.

When he ran into her outside Noah's before, he had seen the hurt in her eyes and knew he was the cause of it. It had made him feel bad, so he decided to try and make some sort of apology. But all of a sudden the hurt he saw in her eyes was replaced by anger and she had pushed passed him and walked off. He wanted to go after her, but then thought it would be best not too.

He stood up and reached over to pick up the small round package. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. He slowly started to peel away the wrapping; he smiled when he saw what it was. It was an 8 ball, a reminder of their pool game that had ended with Martha doing a nudie run. He laughed at that memory, it was a good one.

He gently placed the ball down on his bedside drawer and lay back down on his bed. He decided that tomorrow he would talk to Martha; he just hoped she would listen.

Jack walked out to the kitchen, it was 6:30 pm and he still hadn't heard from his father. He picked up his phone and tried both his dad's number and Luc's number but both phones were switched off. Jack all of a sudden got a bad feeling in his stomach. Grabbing his jacket and car keys, he decided to go and check Noah's and the diner to see if they were there.

* * *

Martha lay on the couch; she had just woken up from a small nap. She was surprised to see that it was almost 7:00 pm. Wonder if granddad's home, she thought. "Grandad. Are you home?" she called out. No answer. "Must be downstairs in the diner," she said out loud.

She stood up, stretched and walked over to the kitchen. She needed a coffee. While she waited for the kettle to boil her thought drifted back to Jack, just like they had many times that day. Damn him. Why did he have to touch me earlier? Why did he have to look into my eyes like that? She thought, thinking back to their little run-in outside Noah's.

She'd felt this amazing tingle run threw her body when he had touched her arm. She'd never felt anything like it before; not with anyone. And then she'd made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. They way he looked at her made her knees go weak, and the only thing she wanted to do was fall into his arms.

But then suddenly the nasty words he had said to her the day before popped into her head. What he'd said had hurt and it made her angry that he could say things like that to her. The last person who had spoken to her like that was Brett, her biological father. And look how her relationship with him had ended.

So she did the one thing that came natural to her; she pulled away from Jack, snapped at him and walked off back into Noah's.

Just as she was about to sit back down on the couch with her coffee she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's Jack. Open the door," was the answer she got back.

What the hell is he doing here, she thought. Oh god, I've just woken up so I probably look like crap. I hope I look at least a tiny bit decent. "Ah, just a second," she yelled to him as she walked over to the door.

She unlocked it and slowly opened the door to see him standing there dripping wet. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Have you seen my dad or Lucas?" Jack asked.

Martha wasn't really listening to him though. She was too busy thinking about how sexy he looked soaking wet. Jack soon realized that she wasn't listening to him.

"Ah, hello?" he said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Umm. Sorry. What were you saying?" she stammered, feeling a little embarrassed.

Jack laughed a little. "I asked if you had seen my dad or Lucas anywhere".

"No, I Haven't. Sorry," she told him. "Why, is something wrong?"

"They're not home yet. I've tried their mobiles and there was no answer. I've just checked Noah's and the diner and they aren't there either. Are Alf and Ric home yet?" He asked her. He sounded worried.

"I haven't seen them yet, so I'm not sure," she answered him. Martha was starting to get a really bad feeling. "Oh my god. You don't think something has happened, do you?" Martha started panicking.

"Hey, calm down. Why don't you try their phones and see if they answer," Jack told her.

"Grandad left his phone here today, but I'll try Ric's," she told him while pulling her phone out of her pocket. She dialled his number and as suspected; his phone was switched off. "No answer," she told Jack.

"I'll go down to the jetty and see if the boats there. I walked down there with them this morning so I know what the boat looks like," said Jack.

"Ok, but I'm coming with you," Martha told him. "Fine," Jack replied.

"Just let me get some rain coats for us to wear," she said while opening the cupboard and pulling out two yellow coats. She threw one at Jack. "Come on, lets go," she pushed Jack out the door and slammed it behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile out at sea, four figures are standing in a boat holding on for dear life. The waves were crashing over into the boat, filling it up with water.

"This boat's going to sink if the waves keep up like this," Alf yelled. He could barely be heard over the sound of the rain, wind and crashing waves.

All of a sudden a great gush of water came flying at them, propelling them all into the raging ocean.

"DAD! HELP," Lucas cried out.


	5. Chapter 5

Martha and Jack ran all the way to the jetty. Martha was praying that the boat would be there and that her grandad and the others had just gone somewhere for dinner or something. Deep down she knew something was wrong though.

"It was tied up right down the end this morning, so I'd say that's where they would put it back when they returned," Jack yelled to Martha. She could barely hear him over the sound of the rain and wind.

They ran right down to the end of the jetty. "Can you see it?" Martha asked with hope in her voice.

"No, it's not here," Jack told her. "Damn It," he cursed.

Jack turned to face Martha. It was dark now and he could barely see her face, but he could tell that she was shattered. He knew how she was feeling; his family was out there too. He wanted to comfort her, but when he reached out to touch her she spun around and started running away.

He started running after her. "What do we do now?" he yelled out to her.

"I need to call Sally and let her know about Ric, she's probably already starting to worry," Martha replied. "I'll tell her to get Flynn to call the other SES members. They'll meet at Noah's and split into search teams," she continued.

Jack grabbed onto her arm and spun her around to face him. "I'm sure they'll be okay," he tried to reassure her while still grasping her arm.

She looked up into his eyes. "I hope so," she said.

"Come on, let's get to Noah's and make those calls," Jack said while pulling Martha along.

* * *

Ric was thanking god that he had a life-jacket on. He hated to admit it but he was scared. "Grandad," he called out. "Grandad, where are you?"

"Ric, is that you?" Ric heard a voice call out. It was Tony. He swam towards him. "Tony, have you seen Grandad or Lucas?"

"No, Can you see the boat anywhere?" Tony asked him. "It's too dark," Ric replied. "Dad. Dad, can you hear me?" they heard Lucas call out from their left. "Yeah Luc, over here," Tony yelled to his son. "Mr Stewart's here with me," Lucas yelled back. "Thank god," Ric sighed.

A few seconds later Ric could see his Grandad and Lucas swimming towards them. "What are we supposed to do now? Just float around in this raging water until someone finds us?" Lucas asked.

"I'm sure they know we're missing by now," Alf panted. Ric could tell that his grandad was losing energy. He wasn't as young as the rest of them.

"There was a little island not to far from where we were fishing. I'm pretty sure it was to my left," Tony told them. "I say we take our chances and swim that way. We might be lucky and come across some land".

"Alright. Let's go then," Alf replied. "Let's try to stay together".

Tony grabbed onto his son and Ric grabbed onto Alf. "Don't let go of me grandad. I'll make sure I get you to safety," Ric promised him.

* * *

It was half an hour later and quite a few SES members had gathered at Noah's. The teams included Scott, Robbie, Kim, Flynn, Dan and Barry. There was a few other men and women aswell. One group had just left and another was about to leave.

Scott had already made it quite clear that Martha and Jack were to sit this one out. He wanted them to stay put; Jack had only just gotten out of hospital the day before and Martha was a bit too emotional at the moment. Scott thought it would be safer if they stayed at Noah's.

At first Martha was not too happy about being told what to do; she wanted to get out there and help find her family. Scott wouldn't take no for an answer though.

So for the next hour and a half Martha just sat in silence, praying that her family plus Tony and Luc would be okay.

Every now and then Colleen would come over to check on her and to see if she needed anything. Martha looked around the room. Irene, Leah, Sally and Hayley were sitting at a table talking quietly; occasionally one of them would look over at her and smile. Tasha was standing at the bar talking to Beth. Matilda and Cassie were sitting together on the small couch holding hands. Every once in a while Martha would hear a small sob come from one of the young girls. Matilda; worried about Lucas- her new boyfriend. And although Cassie and Ric were no longer together, she was still worried about Ric.

And then there was Jack. He was also getting fussed over by Colleen. He was sitting by himself at one of the corner tables. He wasn't doing anything; just sitting there drinking a cup of coffee that Colleen had just given him.

Martha looked at him, wondering what he was thinking or feeling. Jack then looked up and caught her watching him. He gave her a small smile. Martha, not knowing what to make of it attempted a smile back.

At that moment Scott came in with Robbie and Flynn. They were drenched. "Did you find them?" Jack asked.

"No, not yet," Flynn replied.

"What's wrong then?" Martha asked.

Scott sighed. "We've had orders to put the rescue on hold. The weather is getting, it's too dangerous to send anyone out," he told them.

Martha was fuming. "What? No. We can't just leave them out there. You have to keep looking," she yelled. Her eyes started brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have a choice. You know the rules Martha," Scott told her.

Martha couldn't believe it. "This so stupid," she cried while violently knocking a stack of plastic cups off the counter onto the floor, scattering them everywhere.

She looked over at Jack, he too didn't look happy about what had just been said.

Martha felt a soft hand on her shoulder. It was Tasha. "Come on Martha. Come sit down," Tasha asked her soothingly. Martha couldn't do anything except to do what she was told.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack looked at his watch; it read 10:00 pm. It had been an hour since the search had been put on hold and outside the weather was still pretty wild.

Jack hadn't been too happy when Scott had come in and told them about the search. But he'd kept his mouth shut because he knew Scott was right; it was too dangerous to send people out.

Jack wondered what his dad and Luc where doing right now. Where they ok? Where they with Alf and Ric still?

Jack was scared. He was scared for his family, but he was also scared for himself. If he lost his dad and Luc, he'd have no-one.

He looked over towards Martha; he could tell that she was starting to get impatient. She'd been so upset when the search was put on hold; but unlike him, she had let her frustrations be known to a room full of people.

Occasionally Martha would look over at him and they would lock eyes for a few seconds. Jack had wanted to go and sit with her but couldn't work up the courage to do it.

"This is crazy," someone yelled, grabbing Jack's attention.

* * *

Martha couldn't take it anymore. She wanted her family back and nobody would help her.

She jumped up. "This is crazy," she yelled. "I can't just sit here doing nothing, I feel so useless," she said.

"Martha, you need to calm down," Tasha told her.

"I'm sure they'll be heading back out soon," Beth tried to reassure her.

"Well they had better hurry up. Because if anything happens to my family….," Martha started sobbing.

"Oh sweet, its okay. Let it out," Beth said while pulling the crying girl into her arms.

"Is everything okay?" a voice asked. Martha pulled away from Beth to see Jack standing there. Was Jack actually asking if she was okay? Martha was quite surprised; he hadn't spoken to her since they had arrived.

"Ah, were going to go and sit down," Beth said while pulling Tasha away with her. Martha and Jack were left standing alone.

"Are you okay?" he asked her again.

"Do I look ok to you," Martha replied. "I'm going crazy. I feel like hurting someone," she growled.

"I know how you feel," he said.

Martha had finally had enough. "I refuse to stand around waiting, I'm going out there," she told Jack.

"What? Wait, where are you going?" Jack asked as Martha pushed passed him.

"I'm going to find my family," she stated.

Jack tried to stop her but she had already taken off towards the door. Damn it, Jack thought as he ran out the door after her.

* * *

Tony pulled his son closer to him, trying to warm Lucas up. He looked over to Ric and Alf who were also snuggled close together.

After what had seemed like hours of swimming, Tony and the others had finally found land. Now the only thing they could do was keep themselves warm and wait for some help to come.

Alf was not doing so good; when they were out in the water he had grown so tired that Ric was having trouble keeping him awake. By the time the waves had washed them all up onto the beach, Alf had stopped breathing. Ric and Lucas were both crying and panicking.

Tony thought back to that horrible moment when they had thought that Alf was dead. He had started CPR straight away; someone must have been looking down on them because Alf started breathing again.

So now Tony and his three companions did the only thing they could do. Sit and wait.

* * *

Martha could hear Jack calling out from behind her; she wasn't going to stop though. Martha saw the Jetty up ahead and it made her run even faster. Just before she reached it Jack caught up to her and grabbed her; making her stop.

"Martha, what do you think you're doing? You can't go out there, it's too dangerous," Jack yelled at her.

Martha whipped around to face him. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do," she screamed back at him while trying to pull free from his grasp.

Jack was not letting go of her though. He held on tight. "Let me go Jack," Martha started crying.

Jack looked down at the crying girl. She looked so innocent and fragile standing there in the rain with her wet hair plastered down all over her face. This was the first time he'd seen her cry and it was strange. Martha usually came across as this tough girl who would never let someone make her cry, but now Jack could see that she was just like everybody else. She hurt and had feelings just like everybody else.

Martha was crying hard now and seeing her like this gave Jack a pain in his heart. He just wanted to take her in his arms and make her feel better.

Jack reached out to touch her face. As he ran his thumb across her cheek, he felt that tingle again. Martha looked up at him "I want them back," she whispered.

"I know, me too," Jack replied.

"I need them. They're the only family I have here, and without them I'm nothing," Martha cried to him. "And that's why I'm going out there to find them," Martha said while pulling out of his grasp. She spun around quickly and took off running down the jetty.

"Martha. Wait. You can't," Jack called out as he chased her.

Jack was catching up to her but what happened next stopped him in his tracks.

Martha slipped on the wet wood of the jetty. She fell into the water, hitting her head on something on the way down.

"MARTHA! NO!" Jack cried out.


	7. Chapter 7

"Martha!" Jack called out in a panicked voice. "MARTHA". Jack ran to the edge and looked into the dark water trying to find her.

"Jack," he heard her call out. It was dark, so he couldn't see her. He heard a whimper coming from just up a bit further. He spotted her treading water and trying to keep her head above the waves.

"Martha, grab my hand," he said while holding his arm out to her. As soon as she grabbed hold of him he pulled her up out of the water. She fell into his arms crying.

"It's okay, I've got you," he soothed while holding her tightly to his chest.

"It's so cold," she whispered to him. Jack could feel her shivering.

He removed his arms from around from her and cupped her face in his hands. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"My head hurts. I hit it on something when I fell," she replied. He removed his hands from her face and saw a small cut above her eyebrow, with a bit of blood trickling down the side of her face.

"Let's get you back inside so that Flynn can take a look at that cut," Jack told her.

He pulled her up onto her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist so he could help her walk. "Come on let's go," he said.

* * *

Flynn looked around the room trying to spot Martha or Jack.

"Beth, have you seen Martha and Jack anywhere?" he asked.

Beth looked up. "They're around here somewhere, they were talking before. Maybe they went somewhere a bit more private," Beth replied.

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to let them know that we're getting ready to head back out," Flynn told her.

"Good Martha will be happy with th…," Beth started but was cut off by a gasp from Tasha.

"Oh my god, Martha. What happened?" she asked.

Flynn spun around to see Jack and Martha walking towards him. Jack was helping Martha and they were both soaking wet. They had obviously been outside. Flynn then noticed that Martha was bleeding from her head.

"What happened?" he asked them. Jack sat Martha down and looked at Flynn. "She slipped and hit her head," Jack told him.

"Did she lose consciousness at all?" Flynn asked while looking at the cut. "No," Jack replied.

Colleen then came rushing over with some blankets. She wrapped one tightly around Martha. She looked up at Colleen, "thanks Colleen," Martha said. "That's what I'm here for Pet," Colleen smiled at her.

"Here you go Jack. Warm your self up," Colleen said while placing the other blanket around Jack's shoulders. "Thank you," he smiled down at the small women.

"Well, the cuts not too deep. A butterfly stitch should do it. Cassie, could you pass me my bag please? I should have some in there," Flynn said.

"Martha, once I've cleaned this cut up, I want you to go home and get some rest," Flynn told her.

Martha looked up at him. "No. I don't need rest. I want to stay here," she said to him.

"Look, we're about to start the search again; I will call you when we find them. But right now, I want you to go home. Have something to eat and get some sleep," Flynn told her sternly. Martha gave in. "Fine," she said.

Flynn whipped around to face Jack. "Same goes for you mate. You only just got out of hospital yesterday so you should still be resting," he said.

Jack didn't argue. "Okay," he replied.

* * *

Martha was getting ready to go home and she was giving Tasha and Robbie a hug goodbye. "Rob, bring my family home ok," Martha asked. "I promise," he replied.

Martha put her jacket on and walked to the door; Jack was waiting there.

"Hey," she said. "I thought you'd already left," she asked.

"I was waiting for you," he told her. "Why?" she asked him.

"Because I'm going to stay with you at your place," he stated, surprising Martha.

Martha laughed. "Excuse me," she said.

"Somebody needs to make sure you don't do a runner. You've already tried to sneak out once tonight, who's to say you won't try again," he answered.

"I don't need a babysitter Jack," she huffed looking away from him.

Jack sighed. "Yeah, well I'm not taking any chances".

"Fine. Whatever," Martha said shaking her head. Deep down, she was glad that Jack would be staying with her. She didn't want to be alone.

"Good. Anyways there is actually something else that I want to talk to you about," Jack replied.

Martha was curious as to what he wanted to talk about, but she didn't push it.

"I need to stop at my car on the way. There should be some dry clothes in there that I can put on," Jack said as he walked out the door.

Tonight's going to be very interesting, Martha thought to herself as she followed him out side.


	8. Chapter 8

Martha and Jack had been back at the unit for about an hour. During that time they had showered and had something to eat. Now they were just sitting on the couch watching TV and not speaking. Martha was still curious as to why Jack was really there, but she wasn't sure how to approach him about it.

Martha looked up to see him watching her, he then looked away quickly. "Why are you here Jack?" she questioned him.

"I told you before, it's to make sure you don't sneak out and do something stupid," he replied. "You're so lucky I was down at the jetty with you earlier. You could have drowned," he continued.

"So basically you're saying I can't look after myself," she accused him in a raised voice.

Jack sighed. "No, I'm just saying that you were lucky that I was there to help you".

Martha scoffed. "It's a wonder you didn't let me drown," she said. "It would have been an easy way to get rid of me," she kept on.

Jack couldn't believe what she had just said. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

Martha jumped up from her spot on the couch. She knew she shouldn't be picking fights with Jack, but once she got started she couldn't stop herself.

Martha walked over and stood by the window. "Perhaps I should refresh your memory for you," Martha started while walking back over to stand in front of Jack.

"Now, let's see. Oh yes, that's it," she said with a smart tone in her voice. "If I recall correctly, you said that you didn't want to see or speak to me ever again. You suggested that I should walk the other way if I was to ever see you in the street. If you hate me that much then why didn't you just let me drown?" Martha snapped at him.

Jack looked up at her in shock. "Martha, I don't hate you".

"It sure sounded like you did yesterday when you felt the need to make me feel like crap," Martha started.

"I know I shouldn't have yelled at you, but…," Jack began but Martha cut him off.

"No. Shut up. It's my turn to talk now," she told him.

Martha sighed before beginning to talk. "I know I could have stuffed up your hearing and I know that I could have ruined your career. But that doesn't mean that you get to talk to me like crap. I have feelings just like everybody else does," she started. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, but, you actually made me cry. I never cry; not even when my own father told me to get lost," she admitted.

Jack didn't know what to say, so he just sat there looking up at her. He was kind of shocked that Martha had admitted to crying over him.

"If you can't stand the sight of me, then why are you here with me?" Martha asked him.

"I don't hate you. I was just upset about the situation. I know it was an accident and that you didn't intentionally set out to hurt me. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was pretty harsh and you didn't deserve it," Jack explained.

Martha sat back down next to him. "I'm so sorry Jack. It was a stupid prank and I shouldn't have done it. I never meant for it to end up like this," she said to him as she placed her hand gently on his arm.

Hmm, there's that tingle again, Martha thought as her hand rested on his arm.

Jack smiled at her. "I know," he said.

"So. Before at Noah's, you said that you wanted to talk about something. What was it?" Martha asked.

"Oh. I wanted to talk to you about yesterday. I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you. But we've already talked about it, so we don't need to anymore," Jack told her.

"Oh. Okay," Martha replied, trying not to sound disappointed. She had been hoping that maybe Jack wanted to talk about them; as in her and Jack being together.

Martha then realised that she still had her hand placed on his arm. Martha blushed and quickly pulled her hand away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Um, maybe we should get some sleep," Jack suggested.

Martha smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm gonna sleep in my grandad's room, so you can use my bed if you want," Martha offered.

Jack shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll sleep here," he replied.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't offer," she said. "I'll go and get you a blanket and pillow," she said standing up.

She turned back to face Jack. "Do you think that their okay out there?" Martha asked him.

Jack nodded. "I'm sure they're fine. They'll be home soon," he reassured her.

"Thanks," Martha smiled before walking away.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha awoke to the sound of a ringing phone. She looked over to the nightstand and read on the clock that it was 2:00 am. She reached her hand out and grabbed her phone, bringing it up to her ear.

"Hello," she said in a sleepy voice.

"Martha, its Flynn. We've found them," he told her.

Martha was definitely awake now. She sat up quickly. "You found them. Thank god. Are they okay?" she asked.

"Yes. They're all fine. Alf's not feeling too good, but they're alive and that's what matters," Flynn replied.

"Okay. Where are they?" asked Martha.

"They're being taken to the hospital," Flynn told her.

"Ok. Well I'll be there as soon as I get ready. I'll let Jack know aswell," Martha said, not actually telling Flynn that Jack was with her.

"Alright. I'll see you soon. Bye," Flynn replied before hanging up the phone.

Martha jumped out of bed and ran out to the lounge room to tell Jack.

He was asleep on the couch. "Jack," Martha whispered. No answer. She leaned over him and called his name again. "Jack". Still nothing.

It was at this moment that Martha noticed that Jack had his shirt off. She smiled, while admiring his naked torso. Very nice, she thought to herself.

She hadn't seen him without a shirt on before, so she hadn't realised until now how good he actually looked underneath it. She definitely approved.

Alright, that's enough perving, Martha told herself.

She reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "Jack, wake up," she said while pushing at him. His eyes opened.

* * *

Jack opened his eyes and found a beautiful girl looking down at him. Martha, he thought. He smiled up at her. "Hey," he said. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," Martha smiled. "I've got good news. Flynn just called to tell me that grandad and the others have been found. They're all fine," she told him.

Jack sat up. "That's great. Where are they now," he asked.

"They're on their way to the hospital. So get dressed, we're going," Martha said.

Jack stood up and walked over to the chair that he had placed his shirt on. He then noticed that Martha was watching him. More importantly, it looked as though she was checking him out.

Jack smiled. "See anything you like?" he asked her, breaking her out of her daze.

"You wish," she shot back at him before stalking into her room to get changed.

Jack could do nothing but laugh.

* * *

Martha and Jack arrived at the hospital to see that Sally, Cassie, Beth, Matilda, Robbie and Tasha were already there.

"Where are they," Jack asked, he was anxious to see his family.

"Well Tony and the boys are getting checked over by some nurses down the hall, and Mr Stewart is with Flynn," Sally answered.

"Is grandad okay?" Martha questioned Sally.

Sally sighed. "It was pretty rough on him out there. From what I heard Tony had to resuscitate him," she replied.

"Oh my god. But he's okay, isn't he?" Martha said, getting upset.

Tasha walked up and gave Martha a hug. "He's gonna be fine Mac," Tasha reassured her.

From the corner of her eye Martha saw a nurse walking towards them. She broke away from Tasha and rushed up to her. "Can I see Ric Dalby?" she asked.

"Are you family?" the nurse asked. "Yes, he's my cousin," Martha replied.

"Ok, well you can go in then. But anyone who is not family has to stay out here for now," the nurse told them.

"Can I see my dad and brother?" Jack asked, walking up behind Martha.

"Yes, of course. The three of them are all in the same room," the nurse said.

Martha rushed off down the hall with Jack, Sally and Cassie close behind.

Martha walked into the room. "Ric," she cried, when she spotted him. She ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. Ric smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few cuts and bruises," he said while giving both Sally and Cassie a hug.

Martha looked over to see Jack embracing his dad and Lucas, one of them must have cracked a joke because they were laughing.

* * *

After a while Martha got up and walked over and stood next to Jack. "How are you two doing? Not missing any arms or legs I see," she joked to Tony and Lucas. They laughed. "We're both fine. Thanks," Tony said.

Tony then noticed the cut above Martha's eyebrow. "Looks like we weren't the only one's in the wars. What happened to you?" he asked, pointing up to her cut.

Martha reached up to touch it and winced at the pain that shot threw her head. "Ah, I had a little accident," she started. "I slipped and hit my head down at the jetty. I could have drowned if Jack wasn't there to help me," she smiled at Jack.

Tony looked at Jack and then back at Martha. "So, I take it you two are talking again," he asked.

Martha laughed. "Yeah, I guess we are".

Just then a doctor walked in. "Sorry, but my patients need some sleep. So it's time for you all to leave," he apologised.

Martha walked back over to Ric and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning," she told him.

They all left the room, and while they were walking down the hall, Martha spotted Flynn. "Flynn," she called out. "Can I see grandad?" she asked him.

"Martha, I was just looking for you. Come this way, his rooms down here," Flynn told her.

Martha turned to look at Jack. "I won't be long," she told him.

"I'll wait for you in the waiting room, okay," Jack said.

"Ok, thanks," she smiled at him. She then turned and followed Flynn down the hall.


	10. Chapter 10

Martha felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders when she saw her grandad alive and well.

"Grandad," she started while walking up to his bed and giving him a big hug and kiss. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Alf smiled up at Martha. "I feel a lot better than I did earlier. Remind me later to buy Tony a beer. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead," he replied.

Martha started crying. "I was so scared grandad. I thought that I had lost you and Ric forever," she said while taking her grandfathers hand.

Alf sighed. "Me too. The thought of you being left alone really scared me," he told Martha. "How are Ric, Tony and Lucas?" he asked.

"All three of them are fine. Just a few cuts and bruises," Martha replied.

"Speaking of cuts, what happened to you?" Alf said, while pointing up to her very own cut.

Martha laughed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you when you get home," she said.

Martha looked up at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30 am. "I'm gonna let you get some rest. You definitely need it. Plus Jack's waiting outside for me and I don't want to keep him waiting too long," Martha told Alf.

Alf looked up at Martha in surprise. "Jack's waiting for you? Does this mean you two are talking again?" Alf curiously asked.

Martha nodded. "Yeah. We had a bit of a chat earlier and sorted things out," she said with a smile on her face.

Alf smiled. "Good. See, I told you he would come around eventually," he stated.

"What would I ever do without you?" Martha laughed while playfully giving him a bit of a shove. Alf chuckled.

"Does this mean you've told Jack about your feelings towards him?" Alf questioned her; turning the conversation serious again.

Martha looked away from Alf. "No, not yet," she said in a low voice.

Alf sighed. He grabbed a hold of Martha's hand and forced her to look at him. "You listen to me girl," he began. "I know how it feels to lose people you care very deeply about, and I don't want that for you. I know how much you care about Jack, so there is no use in trying to deny it anymore. Life is too precious to waste. The last 24 hours is proof of that," Alf continued.

Martha didn't know what to say. She knew that her grandad was right; he always is.

"Martha, you need to tell that boy how you feel. You already know that he feels the same way, so there's no need to be scared," Alf said.

Martha smiled down at him and nodded. "You're right grandad. But the truth is; I am scared. I've never felt like this about anyone, ever. And that's what scares me," she told him. She couldn't believe how honest she was being right now.

"Why does it scare you?" Alf asked her.

Martha shrugged. "I don't know," she sighed.

"I want you to promise me that you'll tell him how you feel," Alf urged.

Martha looked down at him. "I promise," she said.

Martha knew she couldn't back out now; because there was no way that she would break a promise to her grandad.

* * *

Martha and Jack drove most of the way home in silence. They had taken Martha's car to the hospital, so she had to drive Jack back to her place so he could pick up his car.

"Talk about a long night," Jack said, breaking the silence.

Martha took her eyes off the road so she could look at him. 'Definitely," she said back to him.

He smiled at her. It was one of those Trademark Jack Holden smiles. And she loved it. She would never get sick of that smile; it made her melt every time. Not that she would ever admit it.

She snapped her eyes back onto the road; if she kept looking at him while driving, she would probably crash the car.

She couldn't help but think back to the conversation she had just had with her grandad. He was right; she needed to tell Jack how she felt. She couldn't hide it from him any longer. But how do I tell him? She thought to herself.

Martha drove the car into a park and her and Jack got out and walked up onto the grass. It had stopped raining now, but it was still a bit windy.

"So I guess I'll see you at the hospital later when you pick up Ric," Jack asked her.

Martha smiled and nodded her head. "Yep," was all she could say.

Jack smiled back at her and turned to leave. "Ok, I'll see you later then," he said.

"Bye," Martha turned and started to walk away. She could sense a nagging feeling inside her and there was a voice inside her head telling her to call Jack back. You made a promise to tell him, call him back and tell him now, she kept telling herself

She turned around and could see that Jack had nearly reached his car. "JACK," she called out.

He whipped around as soon as he heard her voice. "Yeah," he said while stepping back up onto the grass.

Martha started walking down to where he was standing. "Um, I need to talk to you about something," she said. She was standing right in front of him now.

Jack looked at her. He was curious as to what she wanted to talk about, and at the 4:00 am in the morning nonetheless. "Okay. What's up?" he asked her.

She opened her mouth to say something but then stopped herself. She seems nervous, Jack thought to himself. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yep," was her fast reply.

"Are you sure you want to talk now. If you want we can talk about it, whatever it is, later," Jack said.

"No," Martha shook her head. "I need to talk now," she told him. Inside Martha was freaking out. But she had gotten this far; there was no turning back now.

"Alright. Did you want to go inside and talk?" Jack suggested. He was surprised by her response.

"NO!" She all but yelled. Martha knew if they went inside there wouldn't be much talking. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself. And if Jack was like most guys; he wouldn't either.

Although, I wouldn't mind if his hands were on me, she thought. Geez women, get your mind out of the gutter, she told herself.

"Okay. Talk on," he laughed at her sudden outburst.

"Look, I usually find it easy to talk to guys about things like this. But with you, It's not so easy," she stammered. "But there's no easy way to say it than to just say it," she kept on.

It was so clear to Jack now that she was nervous. She was starting to blush and Jack could tell that her breathing was starting to get heavy. "Go on," he smiled at her.

"You love the fact that I'm freaking out right now, don't you?" Martha accused him.

Jack laughed. "Hell yes," he replied. Jack was pretty sure he knew what Martha was going to tell him, but he wanted to hear it come from her mouth.

"You know what I'm trying to tell you, don't you?" she questioned him.

Jack gave her a smirk. "Maybe. But I'd like to hear you say it," he answered with a cheeky grin. He loved the fact that he was making her squirm.

"You know what? Let's just forget that I even said anything. I'll see you later," Martha snapped at him and spun around to walk away.

She could not believe that Jack was using this opportunity to make her squirm. Here she was trying to let him know how she felt and all Jack could do was be smart about it. Stupid Jerk.

Jack reached out a hand to stop her. "Hey. There's no need to act like a princess," he said while grabbing onto her arm.

Martha whipped around to face him. "Princess? Oh no, she's yet to be unleashed. But if you keep it up with the smart ass comments, I'm sure that you'll meet her," she spat back at him. How dare he call her a princess, she thought to herself.

Jack grinned at her. "I love it when you get angry with me," he told her. Jack couldn't help but niggle at her. He knew he was pissing her off, but he couldn't help it. He loved to annoy her.

Martha shoved Jack, hard in the chest. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you, and all you seem to want to do is make jokes," Martha started. "So I'm going to give you two options. One; you can be a good boy and listen to what I have to say. Or Two; I can go inside and you can spend the rest of your days pining over me. So, why don't you tell me how I can help you?" Martha continued.

"Okay okay. I choose option one. I'll be a good boy," he smiled at her. "I'm sorry. Please continue with what I'm sure is going to sound so good coming from your lips," Jack said.

"You're really cheeky, you know that?" Martha smiled at him.

Jack laughed. "Of course," he started. "Now, didn't you want to tell me something?" he continued.

"Right," Martha answered, giving him an evil look.

Martha all of a sudden felt a surge of confidence. "You know what? Screw it. I'm just gonna say it. There's no use in beating around the bush any longer," she began. "I have feelings for you. I always have, I just didn't want to admit it. But I'm sick of hiding it and I'm sick of playing these stupid games," she blurted out.

Wow, that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. It feels so good to finally have it off my chest, Martha thought to herself.

"There, I said it. Are you happy now?" she asked Jack.

Jack gave her a sweet smile. "You know that I'm happy you said it. It feels like I've been waiting forever to hear you say it," he answered.

Jack felt like the luckiest guy on earth. The girl that he was fast falling in love with had finally admitted that she felt the same about him. Finally something good was happening to him.

Jack took a step forward, so that he was standing right in front of her; nearly touching.

Martha looked up into Jack's eyes. "What happens now?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Do you want to be with me?" Jack questioned her. Martha didn't speak; just nodded her yes.

Jack brought one of his hands up to cup her face; caressing it with his thumb. "Does this mean that I get to kiss you anytime I want?" he asked.

Martha smiled up at him. "No," she started while wrapping one of her arms around his waist and pulling him closer. "It means that I get to kiss you anytime I want," she whispered.

Jack placed his other hand on her back, trying to get as close to her as possible.

Martha ran her spare hand up Jack's arm, feeling the muscles under the material of his shirt. Once her hand reached his shoulder she slid it around to caress the back of his neck.

During this time their eyes stayed locked together. Both of them had bolts of pleasure running threw their bodies.

"You know, I could get used to this feeling," Jack whispered while lowering his face closer to hers.

"Me too," Martha agreed as their noses touched.

A second later and their lips met finally for the first time. Martha felt a hot spark course threw her body, She'd never felt anything like it before. It was breathtaking.

The kiss was soft and gentle; exactly the way Martha had expected and wanted it to be.

Jack rubbed his lips over hers. Martha responded by letting her own lips part. She couldn't help but let out a small whimper as Jack pulled her body closer to his; melding them tightly together.

Jack let out a low groan as his tongue delved into the warm interior of her mouth. Her lips tasted sweet, like raspberries. His favourite. He guessed it was her lip-gloss. He angled his head; she tilted hers in a corresponding movement. Their mouths were sealed.

Jack continued stroking the inside of her mouth with his tongue until Martha gasped breathlessly. She wanted more.

Jack pulled away, desperate for air. They looked into each others eyes for a few seconds; both of them trying to catch their breath.

Jack then gathered her to him again, his head dipping so his mouth could capture hers. She opened for him; feeling his lips, his tongue, even his teeth. His caresses were like sweet ecstasy to her.

Martha's hands roamed over his back; as he did the same. Martha couldn't seem to get enough. This kiss was amazing. Jack definitely knew how to make her feel good. She just hoped she was doing the same for him.

Jack never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to spend the rest of his life kissing Martha. He'd never felt anything like this before. Martha's kisses were like a drug and he couldn't get enough of her.

Jack soon began to feel himself losing control. He wanted her so bad, but he wasn't about to push her into doing something she wasn't ready for.

So he did the only thing he could do. He pulled away from her. "We have to stop. I need to go home and so do you," he said while trying to catch his breath.

Martha understood; they needed sleep. They both knew that if they kept going now, they wouldn't be able to stop.

Martha smiled up at him. "You're right. We both need to get some rest. And besides we'll be seeing each other again in a few hours," she said.

Jack lowered his head and gave her a fast, hard kiss on the lips. "Bye, see you soon," he said before turning fast and running to his car. If he didn't leave now, he never would.

Martha watched as Jack's car disappeared down the road. Her body was still tingling from his caresses. She turned and started walking back towards her apartment. She would be counting down the hours until she could see him again.


	11. Chapter 11

Martha had just arrived at the hospital to pick up Ric. She walked down the hall with a smile on her face. She'd just seen Jack's car out in the car park and she was excited about seeing him.

The kiss she'd shared with him in the early hours of that morning had been replaying over and over again in her mind since then. She couldn't seem to think about anything else except for Jack. Jack and those amazing hands, she thought.

She'd never experienced anything like what she had felt with Jack, and she couldn't wait until she got more.

His touch had sent tingles coursing throughout her body and his kisses were enough to take her breath away.

Martha stopped just as she reached the room that the three boys shared; she could hear them laughing. Martha wondered if Jack had told the guys that they were together. I guess I'll find out soon enough, she thought.

Martha walked into the room making her presence known. "Hey," she said. "How's everyone feeling?" she asked.

They all looked at her smiling. "We're all great," Tony replied.

Martha walked up and gave Ric a hug. "Are you ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yeah. But I want to stop in and see grandad before we leave," Ric told her.

Martha smiled and nodded. "Okay".

Martha looked over at Jack and gave him a small smile before looking away quickly.

"Okay, well I guess I should get you fellows home," Jack said to Tony and Lucas. "Yep, let's go," Tony answered.

Tony, Lucas and Ric left the room together; Martha and Jack followed behind them.

"Meet me down at the rocks at 2:00 o'clock," Jack whispered to her.

Martha guessed that he hadn't told anyone about them yet. She nodded at him. "Okay," she whispered back.

Martha and Ric then walked off in the direction of Alf's (he was staying in for another night) room, while Jack left for home with Tony and Lucas.

* * *

Jack walked along the beach; heading for the rocks. He looked at his watch; it was almost 2 pm. Good, I'm not late, he thought. He'd asked Martha earlier to meet up with him, and he didn't want to keep her waiting.

He'd been waiting for hours to see her; and when he had seen her at the hospital before; it had taken nearly all of his self-control to stop himself from touching her.

He looked up ahead and could see her sitting down; her hair blowing around in the wind. God, she's beautiful, he thought to himself.

She hadn't seen him yet because she had her back facing him. Jack crept up behind her; slowly and quietly. Just as he reached a hand down to grab her, he heard her voice.

"Don't do that," she said.

Jack laughed. "Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Try and scare me. And don't say you weren't, because I know you were going to," she replied while turning to look up at him.

Jack looked down at her. "How did you know I was there?" he questioned her.

She smiled. "I have eyes in the back of my head," she told him.

"Oh, well that explains it all then," Jack joked as he held out his hand to help her up.

Once Martha was standing; Jack pulled her into a tight embrace. "I missed you," he said in a low voice.

Martha looked up into his eyes smiling. "Me too".

Jack bent his head low and impressed a soft kiss on her lips. Her lips parted. The intrusion of his tongue into her mouth was so gentle and sweet.

They carried on like this for a few more minutes until they were breathless; they needed to pull away so they could get some air.

"Have you told anyone about us yet?" Martha asked.

Jack shook his head. "No. Why? Have you?" he replied.

"No. But I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't tell anyone just yet," she told him.

Jack took a step back from her; pulling his hand away from hers. He was shocked. "What? Why can't we tell anyone?" he questioned her.

Martha laughed at the shocked look on his face. She took his hand in hers again. "Hey, calm down. There's no need to get upset," she started. "What I mean is; maybe we should keep it to ourselves and see how long it takes for everyone to realise that we're together," she told him.

Jack let out a long sigh. "Geez, for a second there I thought you were gonna tell me that you'd changed your mind about us," he said. The shock had now worn off.

Martha reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "No way. I've got you now, and I'm never letting you go," she told him, smiling.

"Good," he said, giving her a kiss back.

"So, what do you think about my idea?" Martha asked.

"I'm up for it. But you do realise that we won't be able to touch each other in public. Can you handle that? Do you think you'll be able to keep your hands to yourself?" he teased her.

"Of course I can handle that. Unlike you, I have self-control," she replied before walking away.

Jack scoffed. "Self-control? I have plenty of self-control," he yelled out after her.

* * *

It was 8 pm and Jack sat on the couch watching a movie with Tony and Lucas. He wasn't paying much attention to it though; he was too busy thinking about Martha. They only got to spend about half an hour together down at the rocks today, because Martha had a shift at Noah's.

Jack then heard his phone beeping. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. There was a message and it was from Martha. He opened the message and it said 'I've just got home. If you're not doing anything, come around'.

Jack smiled to himself. He sent a message back saying that he would be there soon. He jumped up from his spot on the couch and walked into his room to get his jacket and car keys.

"Dad, I'm going out for a while. I don't know when I'll be home," he said as he walked to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked his son.

Jack didn't know what to say. "Um," he stammered. "Oh, Rob just text me and asked if I wanted to go round and have a beer at his place with him and Scott," he said.

"Oh, okay then. Well I'll see you when you get home. Whenever that is," Tony said.

"Bye," Jack said as he walked out the front door.

"Do you believe he's really going to Robbie's?" Lucas asked his dad.

Tony laughed. "No way," he replied.

"Where do you think he's going then?" Lucas said.

"Wouldn't have a clue, mate. But whatever it is, it must be good," Tony started. "Because I don't think I've ever seen Jack move so fast in his life," he told his son.

Tony and Lucas looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

Martha looked down at her phone; reading the message that Jack had just sent her. It said 'be there in 10'.

Martha jumped up from her spot on the couch and ran into her room; wanting to get changed before he got there. She took off her Noah's uniform and put on the first thing she found; a pair of black pants and a red singlet.

She pulled her hair out of its ponytail; letting it fall loose around her face. She knew that Jack liked her hair the most when she had it out. She then sprayed herself with some perfume and put on some lip-gloss.

She then walked out into the kitchen and sat down; waiting for Jack to arrive.

Five minutes later she heard a knock at the door. "Just a second," she called. She was excited about seeing Jack and it was starting to make her feel a little giddy. But it was definitely a good giddy. Come on girl, pull yourself together, she told herself while walking over to the door.

She opened it to see Jack standing there with a smile on his face. "Hey," he said. "Hi," Martha replied, moving out of the way to let Jack in.

She closed the door, locked it and turned around to face Jack.

He quickly stepped towards her, sliding his arms around her waist and drawing her closer to him. He kissed her; his mouth both tender and passionate as it moved over hers.

They pulled away from each other. Martha smiled up at him. "Just what I needed," she told him.

Jack laughed. "Well, at least I know I'm good for one thing".

"Want a coffee?" Martha asked him. He nodded. "Sure".

They walked over to the kitchen. Jack took his jacket off, placing it over a chair.

"Oh, I just lied to my dad," Jack told her.

Martha looked at him confused. "Why?" she asked.

"When I said I was going out, I told him that I was going to Rob's for a couple of beers," he replied while going to stand next to her.

"Did he believe you?" she laughed.

Jack shrugged. "Don't know".

"Ah well. It's all for a good laugh," she told him as she rubbed his arm.

They stood looking into each others eyes for a few seconds before Jack decided to break the silence. "So, was there a reason why you asked me to come around?" he teased.

"Maybe," she smiled up at him innocently, before moving closer.

His arms swept around her swiftly. He claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. With a low groan, he pressed his tongue inside her mouth. He rubbed his tongue against hers. The kiss lengthened and became an outright act of love. He used his tongue to stroke the roof of her mouth. He explored and enticed until she was weakly clutching handfuls of his shirt in her hands.

They were soon interrupted by a knock at the door. "Yoo hoo, it's only me. Martha, are you home?" called Colleen from the other side of the door.

Martha pulled away from Jack gasping for air. She had a panicked look on her face. "I won't be a second Colleen," she called out.

Martha started pushing Jack into the broom cupboard. "What are you doing?" Jack laughed at her. "Shhh. If Colleen sees you here, the whole town will know within 20 minutes," she started. "Hide in here, it'll only be for a few minutes," she whispered, promising him with a quick kiss on the lips.

Martha opened the door to see Colleen's smiling face. "Hi Colleen," Martha said.

"Hello pet," Colleen started while pushing past Martha and walking into the apartment. "I just finished downstairs and I wanted to come up and see if you needed anything," Colleen rambled on.

"I'm fine thanks," Martha put on a fake smile.

"Are you okay? You seem a little flushed," Colleen asked. She put her hand up to Martha's face. "You feel really warm. Are you unwell?" Colleen nagged.

"No. I was doing a bit of a workout before, so that must have got me a bit hot and bothered," Martha told her.

"If you say so," Colleen smiled, seeming a little unconvinced.

"I'm pretty tired, so I think I'm going to go to bed now," Martha said, trying her hardest to get rid of Colleen.

"Oh. Okay, I'll go t and let you get some sleep," Colleen said, waddling over to the door. "Make sure you send your grandad down for some tucker tomorrow when he gets home. That hospital food is dreadful and I'm sure he'd like to tuck into a good meal," she kept on.

"Will do. Thanks for stopping by," Martha said, practically pushing her out the door. Martha stood at the door and waited until Colleen was out of sight. She slammed the door and locked it. "No more interruptions!" she said.

Spinning around she saw that Jack had already come out of the cupboard; he was laughing. "Hot and bothered, huh," he asked her.

She smiled at him. "What? It's the truth," she said.

"I make you hot and bothered?" Jack teased.

"Very much," she said honestly.

Martha walked towards Jack. "Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted," she smiled up at him.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him into her embrace, kissing him passionately while he ran his fingers through her long silky hair. Soon Martha was pushing Jack through to her room.

He had his hands underneath her top caressing the soft skin on her back. Just thinking about Jack's hands on her body sent tongues of desire licking through her belly.

While Martha undone the buttons on Jack's shirt, he lowered his mouth to her jaw line; stringing a row of tiny kisses along her flesh. With the buttons all undone, Martha pushed Jack's shirt open; letting it drop to the floor.

Her fingers skimmed across his chest; he didn't move, but she heard him draw in a sharp breath. Martha looked up into Jack's eyes and seen what she knew he could see in hers; Lust.

Before too long Jack was helping Martha remove her top; discarding it to the floor where his already lay.

Martha ran her hands up his biceps and then down across his back; she could feel his muscles tensing under her touch.

Jack picked Martha up; wrapping her legs around his waist and slamming her up against a wall. Martha couldn't help but let out a moan.

Martha continued to run her hands all over his body, while Jack was busy sucking on her neck. It was definitely going to leave a mark.

Martha's fingers worked their way up and down his back and when she felt him bite her neck, she couldn't help but dig her nails into his flesh. She heard a low groan coming from him.

Jack captured her mouth again, kissing her hungrily. From the first moment he'd seen Martha, he had wanted her; wanted her with a passion. He'd dreamed of running his hands up and down her slender form. And now he finally had her; and there was no way he was ever giving her up.

Martha pressed her hand onto Jack's warm skin; she could feel his heart beating. It was fast; just like her own.

"Jack, I need you so much," she purred in his ear.

With her eyes focused on his, she backed towards her bed, towing him with her. She fell back, bringing him down on top of her.

Rising up on his elbows, Jack stared down into her eyes. He could have sworn that the look that passed between them was the look of long-separated lovers finally together.

Martha lifted her hands up to Jack's face, stroking his cheeks. His lips came down on hers, giving her a hard, hot and passionate kiss. She'd never received such a blatantly sexual kiss.

After that; the love-making was achingly sweet, tender, and in the end wildly passionate.


	12. Chapter 12

Early the next morning, Martha awoke to find Jack lying on his side, looking down at her. "Hey," he said.

She smiled up at him. "How long have you been awake?" she asked, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "Not very long," he replied.

Martha thought back over the incredible night that they had just spent together. She couldn't believe that she had denied her desires for him for so long.

They had made love frequently throughout the night, dozing in between. Martha wished that they could lay in each others arms forever.

Jack leaned down and gave her a lengthy kiss that left her breathless. "We could have been doing this for weeks if you hadn't of been so damned stubborn," Jack told her.

"I know that now," Martha said, reaching out and smoothing her hands over his naked chest.

She raised her head off the pillow and kissed him. When her head reclined on the pillow again, Jack followed her down; wanting to show her again just how much he needed her.

* * *

About 2 hours later Jack arrived home. Awaiting him was his dad and brother. "Hey," he said to them, while taking his jacket off.

"Sorry I didn't come home last night, but I had a bit to drink and I didn't want to drive home. Rob offered his couch to me, so I stayed the night," he continued.

"That's alright," Tony said, sounding a little amused. "Hey, we're about to go to the diner for some breakfast. You wanna come?" Tony asked.

Jack nodded. "Sure. But can I jump in the shower first?" he asked.

"Okay. But hurry up, coz I am starving," Lucas butted in before Tony got the chance to answer.

Moments later, he was standing under the hot spray, washing away the wonderful smell of Martha that still lingered on his skin.

Jack still couldn't believe how fast things had changed over the last 24 hours. But he definitely wasn't complaining. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. Actually, he didn't think he'd ever been this happy before.

Jack shut off the water, wrapped a towel around him self and headed towards his room to get dressed. A few minutes later he came out of his room and headed towards the washing basket.

"Is my red shirt in here? Oh wait a minute, I've found it," Jack said while searching through the basket.

He started pulling it on when Lucas jumped up quickly. "What are those scratches on your back from?" Luc asked.

Jack looked at him. "What are you talking about? There is nothing on my back," he said. Jack knew exactly where those scratches came from. Martha. But he wasn't about to tell his dad and Lucas that.

"Yes there is. Look dad, he's got scratches on his back," Lucas said while trying to lift Jack's shirt up.

Jack pushed Lucas away. "Cut it out. There's nothing there. Now can we go, I'm hungry," Jack said, changing the subject.

Jack walked out the door, leaving his dad and brother alone. "Dad. Does Jack actually think we're that stupid," Lucas asked.

Tony laughed. "Apparently he does," he said. "Come on mate, let's go get some breakfast," he continued, pulling Lucas out the door behind him.

* * *

Martha walked into the diner; she had plans to meet with Rob and Tasha for breakfast. They had called her about half an hour before and practically begged her to meet with them.

She thought that they sounded a bit weird on the phone actually. She had spoken to Robbie, but she could hear Tasha giggling in the background. She guessed that maybe they were up to something.

She walked in with a big smile on her face, she was in a good mood; her grandad was coming home today, and she'd just enjoyed a really amazing night with her new boyfriend. She was happy.

Martha spotted Rob and Tasha sitting at a booth with Tony and Lucas. They were laughing, but as soon as they saw her, they stopped. It was like they were talking about her and didn't want her to know.

She walked up to them. "Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," they replied, all at the same time.

"Kay," she smiled, not believing them. They were up to something and it was making her uncomfortable.

"Why don't you sit down and we can all have breakfast together. Jack will be in soon, he's just outside talking to a work mate," Tony said to Martha.

At the mention of Jack's name, Martha felt a blush creep up into her face. Tony just smiled up at her. Does he know, Martha thought to herself.

She sat down and after a few minutes of silence, Jack walked in.

"Sorry fella's, I didn't mean to make you wait," he said to Tony and Lucas.

"That's okay mate," Tony said. "Oh, I've asked Rob, Tash and Martha to join us for breakfast," he continued.

"Okay," Jack said, while sitting down across from Martha.

After a few minutes of deciding what to eat, Colleen took their order and headed off into the kitchen to prepare it.

* * *

After breakfast they all went outside and sat at a table out the front of the diner. Martha was glad to get out and get some air. She felt so cramped sitting in the booth inside and Robbie and Tasha had been giving her weird looks all throughout the meal. Not to mention, that Lucas had been smiling at her ever since she first walked into the diner.

"So Martha, how's it been lately?" Tony asked with a big grin on his face.

Martha smiled back at him. "Decent," she answered him. Something isn't right here, Martha thought to herself.

"Hey Mac, where were you last night? I popped around at about 8:30, but you weren't there," Tasha questioned her.

Martha looked up into Tasha's probing eyes. "Um, I went to bed early. I was pretty tired," Martha said, trying her hardest to sound believable.

"Oh okay," Tasha said.

Martha looked at her watch; she would have to leave soon so she could pick up her grandad. Maybe I could just leave now and then I won't have to keep getting strange looks from everyone.

Without knowing what she was doing it, Martha flipped her hair over her shoulder; causing a gasp from Robbie. "What the hell is that on your neck? It looks like someone bit you," he said.

Martha quickly flipped her hair back in hopes that no-one else would see it. She had purposely worn her hair down today; she hadn't wanted anyone to see the mark that Jack had left when he had bitten her.

Martha laughed it off. "Oh, it's just a mozzie bite. It's nothing to worry about," she told Robbie. He didn't believe her though.

"A mozzie bite? It must have been a big one then," he laughed. Soon Tasha, Tony and Lucas were laughing along with him.

Martha looked over at Jack; he was looking off into the distance, trying to ignore what was going on.

"Hey dad. Maybe whatever it was that bit Martha was the same thing that put scratches on Jack's back," Lucas chuckled. This got the four of them laughing again.

Martha was so embarrassed, they had somehow found out about her and Jack, and they were using it to bait them.

Martha couldn't take it anymore, she stood up. "Um, I have to go," she stammered. "I have to pick up grandad," she said.

She tried to walk away but Tony stopped her. "Hey, not so fast girlie. I think you and my son here have a bit of explaining to do," he said, pushing her back into her chair.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jack said to Martha from across the table.

"How was I supposed to know that it would all blow up in our faces," she spat back at him. "Maybe if you had of kept you hands to yourself, none of this would have happened. Like I said yesterday, you have no self control," Martha continued.

Jack laughed. "You pounced on me. You invited me around remember, you instigated the whole thing. Sounds to me like you're the one with no self control," Jack said.

Martha scoffed. "Whatever! But I didn't see you trying to stop me".

But Jack wasn't finished. "Why are you having a go at me anyway? If you hadn't of left scratches and nail marks on my back, they probably wouldn't have found out," he continued.

Martha laughed sarcastically. "You BIT ME first. I was just reacting to what you did to me," she snapped.

Robbie, Tasha, Tony and Lucas were watching on in amusement, they thought it was great fun. Robbie thought that maybe it was time to stop them before they killed one another.

"Hey, time out. Calm down," he said while waving a hand in front of them. Martha shot a dirty look at him. "Shut up Rob," she said.

She looked back at Jack. "Why are you complaining anyway? You enjoyed it, so don't even bother trying to deny it," she stated.

Jack smiled at her. "Your right, it was good. No, wait a minute. It was incredible," he said. Martha gave him a flirtatious smile. "I couldn't agree more," she replied.

Lucas groaned. "Ewww. Stop it. I don't need to know about your bedroom antics. It's gross," he told them. Everyone laughed.

"So, I guess it's safe to say that you two are together," Tony asked.

Jack and Martha smiled at each other. "Nothing ever gets by you, does it dad?" Jack laughed.

"Did you two actually think you could keep it from us? Did you really think we were that stupid?" Tony chuckled.

"What I want to know is how you found out?" Martha asked, curious.

Robbie cleared his throat. "Allow me," he said. "Tasha and I ran into Lucas and Tony last night at the diner. They had come in for a late night dessert. Tony asked why we weren't at home, because he thought Jack was there with us. Of course Tasha and I had no idea what he was talking about. Tasha then mentioned that she saw Jack's car out the front," Robbie continued, pausing for a quick break.

"Anyway's, Tasha then went upstairs to see if Martha was home. There was no answer, but when Tasha went to walk away; she heard Jack laughing. She came downstairs and told us what she had heard. The four of us put two and two together, and the rest, my friend; is history," he finished.

Martha and Jack laughed. "So you decided to punish us for lying, and decided to mess with our heads," Jack asked.

Lucas nodded. "Pretty much," he said with a huge grin. Jack gave Lucas a playful punch in the arm. "You bunch of sneaks," Jack said.

"Ah no, that would be you and Martha," Tasha scoffed.

Martha laughed. "I guess we deserved it," she said truthfully.

Martha looked at her watch again. "Crap, I'm supposed to pick Grandad up soon. I better go," she said, standing up.

Tasha stood up aswell. "I'll come with you," she suggested. Martha nodded her thanks.

She then walked over and gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," she promised him.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Robbie said, gesturing to Martha and Jack's goodbye kiss. Tasha whacked him around the head. "Cut it out," she laughed.

"Hey, there's no need to get violent. I was just saying that it was cute," he defended himself.

Jack watched as Martha walked away. He smiled. Finally I can tell the whole world that she's mine, and no-one else's.


	13. Chapter 13

Martha sat at the diner with Alf while he ate his lunch. "That flaming hospital food is nothing compared to this," Alf said, tucking into a plate of food.

"What would we do without Leah," Martha laughed.

Alf chuckled. "We'd probably starve to death," he said.

"Oh, I thought you'd like to know that I spoke to Jack," Martha told him.

Alf looked up at her. "About your feelings?" he questioned. "Yeah," Martha nodded.

"Well, how did it go?" he asked curiously. She smiled at her grandad. "Really good. I just wish I had of done it earlier," she replied.

"Does this mean that Summer Bay has a new couple?" Alf smiled at her.

"I guess it does," Martha grinned. "Well, I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy," Alf told his granddaughter. "Thanks grandad," she told him.

"Will you be okay here by yourself? I promised Tash that I would go and have lunch with her at her place?" Martha asked Alf.

"Yeah, sure love. Go enjoy your self," he replied. "Oh, and ask Jack to come around for dinner tonight," Alf continued.

Martha stood up and gave Alf a kiss on the cheek. "Okay. I'll see you later," she told him.

"Bye love," Alf said as Martha walked out.

* * *

After lunch Martha and Tasha went and sat down at the wharf. 

"I'm sick of waiting," Tasha suddenly said.

Martha looked towards her friend, she was confused. "Waiting for what?" she asked.

Tasha laughed. "I'm sick of waiting for you to tell me the details about you and Jack," she pouted.

"You didn't ask," Martha stated. "I am now. So spill," Tasha replied.

"What do you want to know?" Martha asked. Tasha giggled. "Is he a good kisser? Are you happy? How do you feel? Things like that," she said.

Martha gave a happy sigh. "I've never felt like this before Tash. When I'm not around him, I wish that I was," she began. "Whenever he touches me, or even looks at me, I feel weak in the knees. He just makes me feel so good. Oh, and yes, he is a very good kisser," she continued.

Tasha smiled at her best friend. "I'm really happy for you Mac. The two of you are so good together," she said.

"So, how was it?" Tasha asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Excuse me," Martha laughed.

"Don't act all innocent. I know the two of you spent the night together last night, so don't deny it," Tasha said.

"Fine. He stayed over last night," Martha told her. "Yeah, so how was it?" Tasha urged.

"Which time?" Martha exclaimed innocently.

"Martha! More than once! How many times where there?" Tasha gasped.

Martha laughed at Tasha's reaction. "Let's just say it was more than a few times," she said truthfully. Tasha looked at Martha in shock.

"What? You wanted to know," Martha laughed.

"Yeah. It's just, I didn't realise you had so much stamina," Tasha teased.

"Neither did I. Every time he touched me, it was like something inside me was unleashed, and I just couldn't help my self," Martha explained. "And the more that he gave, the more that I wanted. I've never felt anything so intense in my life," she continued.

"So it was good then?" Tasha asked smiling.

Martha sighed. "It was more than good. It was incredible. Although, mind-blowing would also be another way to put it," Martha answered.

"Well, like I said before, I'm very happy for you," Tasha said. Martha nodded her thanks.

* * *

The two girls spent the next hour swimming and laying in the sun. Martha thought about Jack nearly the whole time. She couldn't wait to see him. 

It wasn't too long though before she received a text message from him. He wanted to meet up with her.

"Jack wants to meet up with me," she told Tasha.

"Well don't let me keep you. I wouldn't want you to explode because he hasn't touched you in a couple hours," Tasha teased her.

Martha gave her a playful slap on the arm. "Shut up," she laughed. Martha stood up and put her shorts and singlet over the top of her bikini.

"Actually, there is something else I've been wanting to ask you," Tasha called out as Martha started to walk away.

Martha spun around. "What is it?" she called back.

"Is Martha MacKenzie in love?" Tasha yelled out.

Martha smiled. Am I in love with Jack? Martha thought to herself. I guess I am.

"It's a possibility," she called back to Tasha. She turned again, and started walking off down the beach.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tasha yelled from behind her.

Yes, I'm in love with Jack Holden, she said to herself.

* * *

Martha saw Jack sitting down in the sand, looking out over the ocean. She slowly crept up behind him and placed her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" she whispered in his ear. 

"Um, Colleen," Jack answered. "Very funny," Martha laughed, while removing her hands from his eyes.

"Now, if I were Colleen, would I be doing this?" Martha asked. She started placing soft kisses on his neck, working her way up until her lips were touching his.

Jack pulled away quickly. "I think Colleen has the hots for me, so she probably would do that," he joked.

Martha laughed. "Well, it looks like you have a big decision to make. It's Colleen or me," she teased.

"Wow, that is a hard one. But I think I'm gonna have to choose you," Jack said.

Martha smiled. "Good answer," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in close to her; kissing him passionately.

After a few minutes of kissing, Jack pulled away and jumped up. "Now that's enough of the kissy kissy's. Let's go," he said and pulled Martha up.

"Go where?" she questioned, as he dragged her along the beach.

"Up to the cliffs. I went up there the other day and it's really nice," he said.

Martha let go of Jack's hand and stopped in her tracks. "Jack, I can't go up there. I'm scared of heights," she told him.

Jack put a hand up to her cheek and stroked it. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall," he promised and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh, my hero," Martha mocked.

Jack laughed. "Come on. Let's go," he said. Taking her hand, they walked off towards the cliffs.

* * *

About 15 minutes later they arrived at their destination. "See, I told you it was nice here," Jack said, taking Martha's hand and helping her climb down from a rock onto the flatter surface.

"It is beautiful. I can't believe I've never been up here before," she told him, while looking out over the sparkling blue/green sea.

"Let's go closer to the edge," Jack suggested, tugging gently on Martha's arm. Martha shook her head. "No, I'm staying right here, thank you very much," she told him, pulling away from his grasp.

"How about I pick you up and throw you over the edge," Jack joked. Martha glared at him. "You wouldn't dare," she exclaimed. "I would," he teased.

"Oh well. I guess that means that you want to spend the rest of your nights cold and lonely," Martha said.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked. Martha gave him an evil smile. "It means that all the fun we had last night, will never happen again. EVER," she threatened him while running a finger down his clothed chest.

Jack shivered. "Are you like the spawn of Satan or something?" he questioned her.

"Keep annoying me, and I will be," she replied.

Jack smiled sweetly at her. "Okay, we won't go closer to the edge. Let's just sit here," he said, sitting down and pulling Martha down into his lap.

Martha spun around so that they were face to face. She moved her legs, so that she was straddling him. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, so that he could hold her closer.

"At least I know what to do the next time you piss me off. I'll just threaten to take away something you really love," Martha smiled at him.

"You really are evil, aren't you?" Jack asked with a smile on his face. Martha laughed. "Yep. But you love it!" she exclaimed.

Jack started running his hands up and down Martha's thighs, earning a happy sigh from her. Martha cupped Jack's face, and slowly moved her lips towards his; capturing them in a gentle kiss.

They kissed tenderly at first, but then with mounting passion. Martha rubbed her tongue seductively against Jack's, causing him to pull her into a tighter embrace.

He ran his hands over her back, stopping to play with the hem of her shirt. He gradually moved his hands under her top and started to lightly caress her soft skin.

Martha moaned with pleasure, but then gently pulled away from his mouth; breaking the kiss. Things were starting to get a little out of hand. "We can't do this here," she panted, still out of breath from the kiss. "Anybody could come along and see us," she continued.

"I know," Jack said, nodding his head in understanding.

"Actually, I want to tell you something," Martha said, still sitting in his lap. "What is it?" Jack asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Martha sighed. "It's probably a bit early to be saying this, and if your like most guys, you're probably gonna freak out," she began. "But I want to be honest, I don't want to hide anything from you," she continued.

"Okay," Jack said, wondering what it was that she wanted to tell him. "Well, Tasha asked me earlier if I was in love with you," Martha told him.

Jack was surprised. "What did you tell her?" he asked curiously. "I said that there was a possibility," she answered truthfully.

"So what are you trying to say?" he questioned her with a smile on his face. "I'm saying that I love you," she replied shyly.

"You love me," Jack stated. "Yes," Martha said while jumping up from her spot in his lap. "I know we've only been together for like a day, but it just feels so right with you. You make me feel so good and you make me feel safe, it's just…," she blabbered on, but Jack interrupted her.

"I love you too!" he exclaimed. "What?" Martha asked, shocked.

Jack laughed. "I said that I love you too!" he told her again.

"Your not just saying it because I did, are you?" she asked.

Jack shook his head, "No way," he said. He walked over and stood in front of her. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You wanna know when I first realised that I was in love with you?" he asked.

"When?" Martha smiled at him.

"It was when you fell in the mud," he answered.

"The day my car got bogged? That was so embarrassing," Martha said.

Jack laughed. "I thought you looked sexy with dirt all over you," he teased.

Martha wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and pulled him into a hug. Jack buried his face in the curve of her neck and placed a few kisses there before speaking. "We should head home soon," he told her.

"Let's just sit here for a bit longer," Martha sighed.

Jack sat back down and pulled Martha down into his arms. "You're not ever going to be able to get rid of me. You know that right?" he said.

Martha laughed. "Don't worry, because I don't intend on letting you go. You're all mine," she told him.

"I love you," Jack whispered in her ear. "Ditto," she answered back.

And with that they lay in each others arms and waited for their first sunset together.

THE END

* * *

Thanks to everyone who read this fic. Thanks for all the reviews, i really appreciate it. Thanks again.

Love Amber aka Bay Girl

NOTE: Stay tuned for the follow up fic, which is set about six months later.It will be called "ONLY YOU".


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